Thursday, February 3, 2005

VISA'S SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL

The Continuum has obtained a first look at the 30-second Visa commercial featuring Marvel Comics characters in live-action that will premiere during the telecast of Sunday's Super Bowl on Fox.

Here's how Visa describes the spot:

"In 'Super Heroes,' a woman cries for help after discovering someone has stolen her Visa check card. Marvel comic book characters rush to her rescue but discover it's a false alarm: she didn't realize her Visa check card features security benefits that protect her from fraudulent charges. Having calmed the heroine, the Super Heroes return to their work of assisting those who really need it."

Characters appearing will include Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor, Storm and Wolverine -- along with a "surprise guest character."

The commercial will air during the first half of the game.

"In the real world, there aren't Super Heroes to rescue us -- but thanks to the Visa check card, consumers have a way to guard against fraud," said Susanne D. Lyons, chief marketing officer, Visa. "Even though we're delivering that message with Marvel's comic book characters in good fun, it's a serious message for millions of Visa cardholders. That's why we decided to deliver it during the high profile broadcast of the Super Bowl."

Visa has been a Super Bowl advertiser since 1994. In total, Visa has produced 15 Super Bowl commercials in the past 10 years.

Click on the thumbnails for larger and fuller images.

MAN-THING MOVIE UPDATE

The Continuum has obtained 20 promotional images from Man-Thing, the live-action movie based on the Marvel Comics character that will premiere on Sci Fi Channel on April 30.

The film, from Lions Gate and Marvel, was shot during eight weeks last year in Sydney, Australia for a small budget and was originally scheduled for a theatrical release last August. Man-Thing was directed by Brett Leonard and written by Han Rodionoff, who also wrote Marvel's recent Man-Thing comics mini-series.

"Angry conflicts arise between an oil tycoon developer and the Seminole Indians who are being pushed out of their ancestral homelands. When construction crewmembers start turning up dead, law enforcement immediately suspects the Seminoles. But further investigation points to the swamp creature know as Man-Thing, a dangerous entity that feeds off human emotion and literally burns those who know fear."

The film is expected to be released on DVD in its complete R-rated version, possibly as early as June. However, a Lions Gate representative told The Continuum it does not have an official release date yet.

Click on the thumbnails for fuller and larger images and look for more on Man-Thing soon here in The Continuum.

MARVEL COMICS FIRST LOOKS

For covers and four-page previews of Marvel Comics titles arriving in stores on Wednesday, CLICK HERE.

NEW TEEN TITANS DVD

Warner Home Video has announced an April 12 release date for Teen Titans: Switched -- Season 1 Vol. 2 on DVD.

The DVD will contain the final seven episodes of the first season of the show.

Bonus materials will include an interview with Puffy Ami Yumi about the Teen Titans theme song and Toon Topia webisodes.

In related news, Warner Home Video will be releasing DVDs from Kids' WB!'s The Batman. The first release will be called The Batman: Training for Power -- Season 1 Vol. 1

IMAGE COMICS' AS BIG AS EARTH

Scott Morse and Dean Haspiel are team on As Big as Earth, an ongoing, full-color
comic book set to debut from Image Comics this fall.

The book -- a tribute to super-hero comics -- will be split between the two
creators, with each artist handling his own creations.

Here's how Image describes Haspiel's half of book:

"In A-Okay Cool, Haspiel details the adventures of Mirth Quake, The
Inflatable Adam, Man-Size, The Iron Gate, The Yellow Kite and Celluloid
Flame, among others. It's satire, but the stories are entertaining on
any number of levels, soaked in Haspiel's brand of four color madness.
Taking his cue from the freewheeling Silver Age comics of yesteryear,
Haspiel has created a hilarious homage to the superhero. A-Okay Cool will
share space with Haspiel's Billy Dogma, a man who flexes the muscle to meet
the desire in post disaster adventure chronicles of the last romantic
anti-hero."

"Creating exciting characters, much less a new superhero series in today's
market is a daunting task," Haspiel said. "But sharing the chore with
someone whose art and stories are as provocative and innovative and
thrilling as Scott Morse's makes the challenge so much easier and honorable
to attempt.

"My half of As Big as Earth will feature 'The Devil's Muumuu,'
where Billy Dogma accidentally rips Jane Legit's competition dress and his
overwhelming guilt sends him to Hell. Stranded in the netherworld, Billy
opens old wounds about his long-lost mother when he strikes a bargain with
legendary serial killer Ed Gein! Meanwhile, A-Okay Cool tells tall tales of
yesterday's superheroes for tomorrow where a band of outsiders confront the
persuasive powers of the Paper Poodle, battle The Left Hand of Boom, and a
robot discovers the art of yoga. As Big as Earth showcases the heart of the
superhero genre and promises to reveal the universal truths that lie
within."

Here's how Image describes Morse's half of book:

"Scott Morse's end of As Big as Earth will feature new stories centering
around the fantastic citizens of Motionville, a city of tomorrow across the
ocean from the island of Cape Cowl. When the hero known as The World Record
washes up on the shores of Cape Cowl powerless, the stories he tells to the
islanders clue us into the life he led back home...a life of crime-fighting
in the midst of characters like The Move, The Sneak, The Logistical
Nightmare, The Scare, The Projectionist, and The Foolish Fling. These
stories change the lives of the islanders in more ways than one, paving the
way for a whole new kind of comic book reading experience.

"On top of that, Morse reintroduces his character Ancient Joe with new stories in every issue of As Big as Earth. Joe was last seen in the trade paperback Ancient Joe: El Bizarron. Joe must discover his true nature one life-experience at a time... but when you're immortal, what's the true measure of a man? It might just be that Joe is more human that every
human he comes across.

"I'm pretty excited to be sharing a book with someone as talented and dramatic as Dean Haspiel," Morse said. "Seeing what he's been putting on paper makes me want to up the ante, so hopefully I can muster some magic even half as cool as his.

"Motionville is my chance to play with heroes in a unique kind of way, a chance to make my own world of super-powered characters that might someday be someone's nostalgia. I'm no Eisner or
Kirby or Kubert or Toth, but man, those old books they made sure make me
want to be something more than I am...and made me want to be more than just
some ordinary kid when I first experienced them. This is the new mythology,
the brand of literature that sears itself into your hopes and dreams and
lets you cut loose in your mind. It's pure fun."

SMALLVILLE UPDATE

The WB has released two images from "Recruit," next Wednesday's new episode of Smallville

Here's how the network describes the episode:

"In an effort to recruit Clark (Tom Welling) for their football team, Met U sends their star player Geoff (guest star Chris Carmack) to show Clark the 'perks' of attending Met U. However, after one of Met U's players dies under mysterious circumstances and Lois (Erica Durance) is arrested for his murder, Clark discovers that Geoff has super powers and is using them to paralyze anyone who gets in his way - including Lois. Meanwhile, Chloe (Allison Mack) continues to watch Clark to learn more about his secret."

The episode was written by Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer and directed by Jean Szwarc.

In other Smallville news, Michael Rosenbaum, who plays Lex Luthor, appeared on NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly on Wednesday night and related a story in which he recently ran into Kevin Spacey, who is playing Lex Luthor in the new Superman movie.

"I feel a tap on my shoulder and it's like, 'Well, if it isn't the former Lex Luthor?' And I turned around and I go, 'Yeah, I'm playing him before he's fat and ugly.' And he just looked at me and went, 'That's cute Rosenbaum, real cute.'"

NYX TO BE COMPLETED

Marvel Comics announced on Thursday that NYX will be completed, with NYX #6 scheduled for July and NYX #7 in August.

The series is written by Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada.

"Like my art, writing has become near and dear to me," Quesada said. "That makes it very sad for me when circumstances pile up and cause delays in getting the stories out. I take full responsibility and hope fans will still be excited to get new issues."

Quesada said he has closely monitored the reviews of the initial issues. "The kick I get from feedback on the book is indescribable," he said. "My challenge on NYX is to take Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's basic concept, teens with mutant powers, and present it with today's sensibilities and in a realistic locale. If readers see something of themselves in Kiden & Tatiana and feel that it's a New York that breathes real life, then I feel like I've done my job.

łThe characters in this book have come to life for me, and I hope for the fans, too.˛

The art will be by Rob Teranishi.

NYX will also be be featured in a Marvel Must Have editions in May, with NYX Must Have 1-3 and NYX Must Have 4-5. A hardcover combining NYX and X-23 will be released in October.

BRIEFLY

* Dynamite Entertainment has announced that Army Of Darkness: Shop Til You Drop (Dead) #1, is sold out from the publisher.

* Fantastic Four movie cast members Michael Chiklis (Ben Grimm) and Julian McMahon (Victor von Doom) will appear at Wonder Con in a panel devoted to the film.

* Coming Thursday: Marvel movie news -- and much more!!!

COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES

In case you missed The Continuum's recent coverage, here are some links: